Teaching Strategies
Checklist - Explanation
Explanations involve the stating of reasons for an activity or process. How? Why?
Structure
Explanations often begin with a brief description of the activity or process. |
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How something works is explained
or
reasons for a phenomenon are stated. |
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It has a logical sequence of events. |
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Cause/effect relationships (then, as a consequence,
so, if) are used. |
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| Time relationships (first, then, following, finally) are used. |
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| Paragraphing is used. |
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Language
| The 'timeless' present
tense (are, turns, happens) is used. |
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Action
verbs are used (falls, rises, changes). |
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Conjunctions
are used to show time relationships (when, after this, so). |
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| Passives are used sometimes (is saturated, are changed). |
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| The nouns
tend to be general rather than specific (cars, boats,
spiders, schools). |
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| Pronouns
are used (their, they, them). |
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| Non-human participants are used (the sea, the mountains, the computers,
the engine). |
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